Is it okay to feed Red Eared Sliders.......

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
my mother feeds our turtles hotdogs an chicken all the time. just make sure its pieces no bigger than between their eyes so digestion isnt a problem.
 
What about ham? My brother just fed the turtles some pieces of ham. I was just wondering if that was okay for the turtles.
 
eaglesWR7;1964350; said:
my mother feeds our turtles hotdogs an chicken all the time. just make sure its pieces no bigger than between their eyes so digestion isnt a problem.

My iguana use to eat pizza if you gave it to him. Just because they eat it, it doesn't mean it's good for them. ;) And since when have hot dogs been known for being healthy? You might be able to get away with hotdogs made from turkey but I still would probably pass on these too.
 
tydus;1964357; said:
What about ham? My brother just fed the turtles some pieces of ham. I was just wondering if that was okay for the turtles.

Here's the thing, that type of turtle didn't evolve to digest mammalian proteins. They can eat it but a lot of it goes undigested and all it ends up doing it fowling the water quicker. If you want a cheap treat for your RES then give it some canned tuna fish. How big is your RES by the way?
 
I don't know exactly, but the biggest is around 5 inches, the 2nd biggest is around 3 and the smallest is 2 inches. They all live in a 20 gallon long with a filter and a pump. We feed them live fish from time to time, but they usually live on turtle sticks. So are you saying feeding the ham is bad and not recommended? How about feeding them shrimp, crab meat ect?
 
Yes I would stay away from meat. Frozen or market shrimp are great to feed as are fish fillets. I've never fed crab but I would think it would be ok too. Do you feed them a type of turtle pellet like Reptomin so they get their vitamins? Other food choices can be freeze-dried shrimp, shrimp pellets, cichlid and koi pellets, earthworms and crickets. You can also feed them greens, As they get closer to adult size their diets will change to more plant material then animal matter. Just so you know a 20 gallon is way too small to house all 3 of those turtles. Planning on an upgrade very soon?
 
Wow some stuff Ive been seing here:eek::grinno::screwy: First off NO hot dogs,No Ham ,No bacon and (sorry Vicious;)) no canned tuna. Turtles can eat meat as part of a very varied diet but meat by products and canned stuff are off limits. Too high in salt,fat,phosporus,proteins ,preservatives:crazy: I mean this stuff isnt even good for us let alone turtles that have such a slow reptilian metabolism. There small bodys have no way to deal with so much fat and protein stuff. I have one very good reptile medical book and there shows that one of the main health problems on turts that apear on vet clinics is faty degenaration of the liver maily from to much fat and protein on the diet, to much food given at one time and lack of non eating days. Apart from liver problems turts are also propense to heart, kidney and articular gut problems. That makes me recomend no to this foods. Remenbar how "fois grass" is made;):screwy: As for the rest of meat its realy someting to give in a very esporadic kind of way. Ive included meat on my turtles diet all my life and no health problems so far. But I use only non fatty meats(chicken, quail.rabit and turkey) and in a very esporadic kind of way (mostly about 2 times a mouth at most) and allways rowded with other foods. Meat must be by no ways a staple food. Pork is not a forbiten food item, Ive used it but must be avoided at all costs. Good staples food items are the ones Vicious said(apart from the tuna thing:D) and also and very importantly leafy vegetebles wich is one of the most healty foods. In the wild they made the most on a slider diet, complemented with aquatic invertebrads and now and then with a dead fish, a fallen baby bird or a water snake. But vertebrate prey really make about only 10% on the average turtle diet:D
 
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